Bittersweet
by GiveTheDevilHisDue
Summary: Does he love me?" It was the combination of chaos and peace, creating a deranged harmony in the the universe. Ares/Aphrodite.


So, this story has been bugging me for a while and my muse beat me sensless until I wrote it down. After much careful work, I posted it. I'm actually quite proud--and afraid--of my first romantic story. I don't really do romantic...I laugh at "Titanic" you see...yes, I'm sick, I know, I know. Anyway, Ares and Aprhodite's first romantic encounter has always interested me and I'm happy that I got a story out of my endless musings of it. The story was somewhat inspired by "Little Mermaid" when Ariel is on the beach with Eric after rescuing him, but mainly by the painting "Venus and Mars" by Boticelli. Google it, guys, it's a great painting.

Warning: I did write not only my first romantic kiss in this story but also a sort of-you know there having sex-but really it's kind of pathetic sex scene in this. I don't write smut, and wanted to keep this below M, so it's not bad, folks. But I thought I should tell ya'll. Well, after throughly embarrassing myself for the day, I'll let you get to the story!

Enjoy!

* * *

Her eyes rested on his for a split-second. Light into dark. Love into despair. Life into death.

In that split-second there was absolute chaos. An intense insanity mixed with confusion and disarray. Blood soaked the ground and death staled the air. Mixed with his blood and death, a glorious stream of sunlight poured through the thick clouds, casting bright beauty among the death he so happily causes. It sickened her. Of course there was chaos. It was to be expected of such opposites. And yet through their chaos they found harmony. A gentle, peaceful harmony from their simple contact that lasted a millennia.

It was to be expected.

* * *

The days where they had to bear each other's company were on Olympus. When their father called upon them. Unfortunately for Zeus' spirited daughter, there was no debate about attending a meeting. It was to be done, and that was all. While she sneered at these gatherings, her vile brother found sport in them. Zeus' stubborn son's purpose was to cause discord and bitterness. It was at these meetings he took full advantage of his fool siblings pettiness.

Aphrodite sat toward the center of her father's chambers, eyes focused on a lovely cloud in the distance. Yes, lovely indeed. Ares couldn't help but allow his dark eyes to travel to the young woman. She was infuriating in the most simple of ways. She sat in an imperious manner, but remained proper, all the while not paying the slightest of attention to their words.

"The humans are running wild!" cried Hera suddenly. The matriarch had never been fond of humans; they were so…flawed. "Every time they advance, those…those things act out of ignorance and fall behind again." Hera shifted in her throne, nose upturned and eyes slit.

"It is the nature of humans to be at fault," said Demeter gently. "If they were not so, than they would be gods." Hera sniffed indignantly, not even looking at the dainty woman across from her.

Dionysus grinned broadly, crossing his legs and flipping a long, dark curl out of his eyes. "I rather enjoy those humans!" he announced loudly. When he spoke, _everyone _was to hear Dionysus speak. "They are so lively!"

Zeus watched his son, eyes flashing in warning. "You push your boundaries, Dionysus," he said, voice reverberating off of the stone walls. "The purpose of humans is not to entertain you," Now Dionysus' smile faded, and his eyes traveled downward. "They are to advance and grow. That is their purpose." Now, the large man stood, taking a few steps into the center of his chambers. "I summoned you here for _you_ to listen to _me_."

The only problem was that Aphrodite wasn't listening. Not one bit. Smirking under the dark shadow of his long, thick hair, Ares cleared this throat loudly. All eyes turned to him, all the while he continued to focus on the voluptuous woman across from him. After a moment, all eyes fell on her.

"Daughter," Zeus' voice echoed around them, gaining Aphrodite's attention. She blinked slowly, golden eyes coming to rest on her father. "Would you care to join us?" His voice was gentle, but firm, demanding her focus.

Her lips formed into a small pout. "None of this interests me. I do not concern myself with humans. After all, I am better than all of them."

"Vanity is such an attractive trait," jeered Ares. Her eyes suddenly snapped to him, narrowed in a glare.

"It's fact," she hissed. "Though I don't suppose you would understand." With an indignant flip of her hair, she turned to look back at the clouds.

"Ah, I suppose beneath that silly façade you have infinite wisdom to share with us." Now, Aphrodite was completely ignoring him. Eyes intent on following the cloud's every movement, she didn't bother to bring her attention back to him.

If there was one thing Ares hated, it was being ignored. Even if she insulted him, it would be enough. He needed a fight, confrontation of any kind. Damn it, he didn't care as long as it was _something_!

"Enough!" Zeus roared. "If you are done with you childish bickering, I'd prefer to continue."

His eyes now held an intense fire, focused on her completely. She would listen to him.

* * *

They were gone by now. Off to their pointless musings, again. It was so easy being alone. To find the beauty in the world and all of its creatures. Especially the Athenian men. Now, it was only Aphrodite that remained. Or so she thought.

On her way out of the main chambers of Olympus, a large hand wrapped around her entire forearm. Startled at the contact, she gasped, and turned, prepared to smite whoever dared touch her. Her eyes immediately hardened when she saw who it was.

"Ares," she said, yawning. Never mind that her brother irritated her to the point of fiery hatred; he also bored her with his attempts at making others fear him. Foolish man…

His dark eyes flared with fire at her nonchalance. "No one ignores me," he snarled. "I would think you understand this." Exhaling in boredom, she let her head roll from side to side limply. His fingers wrapped around her arm tighter. "Are you making a fool of me?" he demanded.

At this point, Aphrodite was humming a little tune, head still rolling on her shoulders. He did not deserve her time; only her toys did…and they were waiting for her down in Athens. Unfortunately for her, Ares was stubborn and eventually got what he wanted. Now he had a rough hold on both of her arms. "Are you trying to infuriate me, you silly girl?"

Looking up into his eyes for the first time, she remained silent. Everything in those dark, bottomless eyes was dead and decaying. It made her sick, and a shiver passed through her. At this action, Ares eyebrow rose slightly, a shark-like grin engulfing his face.

"Afraid of me, girl?" he growled. Though now he spoke with more seductiveness than ferocity.

His eye twitched when she scoffed at him, shaking her head. "I do not fear," her voice was now far-away. "I love."

Now it was his turn to scoff. Love! A silly, misconceived notion humanity thrived on simply so they could try to ignore death and misery. It was a cover, a smokescreen of false pretenses. Ares knew as well as anyone else on Olympus that Aphrodite did not love, she _played _with others. Yes, they offered her their unwavering devotion and affection, but she didn't care.

"Do you find something amusing?"

"Love," he spat. "You naïve little thing."

Red flushed her entire face, not in embarrassment, but in anger, and she ripped her arms out of his. Against the flush of her flawless skin, her golden eyes seemed to glow. He stepped back at the sudden aggressiveness in his sister's face. With a confident stride, she slowly began to push him back into the wall. It was almost humorous; the large, scarred man being cornered like a mouse by a tiny, breakable young woman. The thought made Ares smirk, which only added fuel to Aphrodite's fire. Which, though Ares wouldn't dare admit it, is never a good thing to do.

However, being so accustomed to confrontation, he blinked in surprise when she gently placed a hand on his heart. Then, a pleasant warmth spread through the large man, causing his smirk to falter. Then, he sucked in a harsh breath when the warmth surged suddenly, feeling as though her palm was burning into his skin, like one would brand an animal.

"If you think love is so inferior," she whispered into his ear. When had that woman become so close? "Than I would assume there would be no question about a challenge being put into place."

"C-challenge?" His words caught in his throat, loosing their intended bite, when her hand began to travel from his heart down his chest.

"Mmm," She nodded her head, eyes intently focused on the center of his chest, where her hand now rested.

With a clear of his throat, he grabbed her hand, making sure it wouldn't travel elsewhere for the time being. "And what are the terms of this _challenge_?"

Biting back a smile, she slowly removed her hand from his. Patience was not a trait of Ares, and she intended to exploit that. When her hand was free from his, she began to trace patterns and shapes on his chest with a long, pale finger. "Well," she drawled out.

"Well what?" Ares' voice was now stronger, causing him to earnestly believe he would frighten her off. To his great dismay, she merely titled her head, continuing to play with his chest. His large tunic prevented much feeling when she lightly played with the fabric, allowing him to remain focused while they spoke.

This time, the smile couldn't be stopped, and encompassed her entire face. It only grew more when she heard the slightest intake of breath from Ares. The man couldn't help himself; she was beautiful enough without showing emotions, which was during almost all of their encounters. Rarely had he seen her smile, and when she did, it was if the sun opened up, blinding him. Of course Aphrodite was beautiful, then again, all gods were. But Aphrodite was the god _of _beauty and love. She knew what men saw when she walked by, even in a human form, and she also knew how to get any man, god or not, to grovel at her feet in a spastic mess of obedience.

It was a gift.

"Well," she said again, sounding as if she were just mulling over the terms of their challenge at this moment. This agitated him even more; if this woman did not make her point in the next few seconds, he would not be able to control himself any further. "I will prove to you that love can beat any war, any violent act, any sin. You will attempt to prove me otherwise." She continued when he didn't object. "The terms are simply this: if I win, I get you all to myself whenever I want." There was a pause, and she looked up at Ares, and then promptly threw her head back, a loud laugh emitting from her when she saw his eyes widen in disbelief. "Trust me, Ares," Her fingers moved again, trailing down to his abdomen and playing with the fabric there. "If I do win, which I will, you won't find fault with this."

It took a great amount of discipline to not throw her off at that moment and blast her until that pretty face was no longer able to look even human. How dare she! The gall, the outright disrespect of this woman was incredible to him. "And if I win?" he growled.

A smile of a more humble nature came to her face, then. "I believe it is only fair for you to create the terms if you should win."

Well, at least the woman had some respect for him. That gave him an idea. When this was over, and he won, she would have nothing but respect for him. "You obey me," he said, getting an immense amount of pleasure when her eyebrows furrowed. "You listen to me, you respect me, you do not toy with me." To further demonstrate his terms, he removed her hand, which was still idly playing with the fabric, and pushed her away.

There was a long moment where neither party moved, neither said a word. Ares thought his terms would scare her off; this would suit him fine, being able to tell her she was a coward would please him greatly. Aphrodite watched him, knowing that she would win no matter what, but offended at what he had said. _No one _demanded anything of her, no _man _would make her sit and obey like a housewife! Smirking, she snapped her head up, letting her eyes glow seductively…oh, he would loose indeed.

"Deal." They grabbed each other's forearms, feeling the rush of power pass between them, confirming their binding contract. Ares flashed a cocky smile; was it wrong that she felt a euphoria unmatched to any other feeling when he smiled like that?

Ares backed away after they parted, not loosing eye-contact with the this naïve child, hoping to throw her off balance. Victory was something Ares knew well, and he would win.

"All right, then. As the lady, I believe I may make the first advance in this challenge?"

Of course. Little wench would obviously wish to begin the challenge _her _way; she used her gender as a ploy. With a reluctant bow, he nodded solemnly.

And regretted it instantly.

She had shoved him against the wall with a force he hadn't remembered her ever having. With an inhuman speed, she untied his tunic, and removed any hidden weapons. "What are you doing?" he shouted.

"Playing the game," she responded, distracted with removing all of that pointless clothing. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm not quite done yet."

Gritting his teeth, he allowed Aphrodite to continue removing his tunic and weapons, smirking when she reached the armor beneath it. "Damn you," she muttered. "This is ridiculous."

"Have you finished your advances?" He asked. Though Ares didn't show it, he felt horrified that his tone was no longer challenging, but playful. As if this truly was nothing more than a game!

Aphrodite huffed indignantly, and shook her head. "I'm changing battle strategies." The words were so serious, so thoughtful, that he didn't realize there was smile taking over his face before she saw it, and raised an eyebrow. "I believe this will set the game into motion." Jumping up, she forced him to catch her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and pressed her mouth to his.

The feeling was unlike anything Ares ever experienced. Yes, he had loved many women before, but this was…different. Her lips melded into his perfectly, as if they were made for him, and he could taste the mint and nectar on her. Without even thinking through his actions, he joined her kiss, allowing his mouth to open and welcome hers gratefully.

Aphrodite's hands wrapped around his neck, fingers tangling into his hair. It was soft, she mused absently, surprised that his hair and skin wasn't as coarse as his attitude. He also tasted…bitter, but in a good way. The taste of fresh grapes, she mused, bitter, but delicious in every way.

When their tongues melded, it was an explosion of feelings and flavors neither had ever imagined in their existence. Ares moaned at the contact, causing Aphrodite smile into the kiss. After several minutes of this, Aphrodite felt satisfied with her work. Indeed, he would understand this challenge was not what he intended it to be. They would play by her rules, now.

With one last kiss, she jumped off of the larger man, backing away until they were a good five feet apart. She couldn't help but taste victory at the site of the war god. Ares was panting slightly, hair mussed, tunic laying uselessly beside him, and his eyes were dazed. Oh, she was definitely going to win.

Ares stood there, hand against the wall and head swimming with the feeling of the woman in front of him. His idea of a challenge consisted of long events of violence and battle, not _this_. Head hanging slightly, he cursed when he realized how much energy she stole from him with just that simple kiss. After a moment, he righted himself, looking at the small woman in disbelief; her amber hair was perfectly set in place, and she looked calm and alert. However, defeat was not a term Ares associated himself with. Taking several long steps forward, causing her to back away, he glared down at her, daring her to try again.

"And what," he whispered, "do you expect me to do now?"

It was her turn to flash him a shark-like grin, a single piece of hair falling into her face.

"Fight me."

* * *

Neither Ares nor Aphrodite were sure how they ended up in a forest. Or how they got several pillows and sheets; or even when the poor, curious young satyrs came to watch. Though these things mattered not; neither would dare stop for fear of loosing the challenge. Soon enough, though, their challenge turned into something much more intimate, and so much more powerful.

Ares didn't mind this particular challenge, as long as he got to fight her. Aphrodite couldn't comprehend how he could be so driven and yet so loving at the same time; the indirect beauty of it drove her to cry.

Their bodies melded so perfectly, as their lips did, that it was almost uncanny. Ideally, the nature of war and love was to cause rifts. For the two young gods, it caused a joining, a combination that worked perfectly, and at the same time caused the world around them to shake in imbalance. She felt searing pain at the very moment he felt heart-breaking compassion, and the feelings reversed every other minute. Yet this only enticed them further.

Tears of pleasure mixed with blood of relentless drive. Aphrodite had grown intensely fond of grabbing hold of Ares hair. The long locks were so silky and soft that it took away from the bursts of pain she felt. And through the pain she felt something more, something incredible and loving. It only made her cry harder.

While Ares didn't understand why she cried, he understood her tremors of pain; he felt it just after she did. Then, he felt a warmth, a compassion rush through him, filling him with a drive unlike any he'd ever felt before.

At one point Aphrodite let out a blood-curdling scream, causing the satyrs to hide behind trees and bushes. Ares suddenly grabbed her, never removing himself from her, and pulled her close, letting her bury her face into his shoulder. At that point, he began to cry, silently, but crying nonetheless. When she finally settled, allowing herself to pant slightly, she captured her mouth in his, moved by the tears she saw.

Originally, both tasted individual flavors during their first kiss. Now, the kiss became something so much more. A bittersweet, incredible flavor exploded in their mouths. Aphrodite sighed, now softly caressing his back and hair; Ares moaned as he did during their first kiss, bringing her even closer.

* * *

Ares was laying against his clothing, head slightly propped up by the pillows resting on the log behind him. With half-open eyes, he saw the satyrs playing in his large, silver and gold armor. He had a threat ready, and raised an arm, prepared to frighten them off. However, his arm fell limply onto his legs, and his head dropped in exhaustion. Looking over at Aphrodite, who was now adjusting the golden rope of her peplos. Ares watched in amazement at the woman; there was absolutely nothing misplaced about her. It looked as if she simply walked into the forest and sat down, and had not just physically worn out the god of war himself.

Aphrodite's eyes darted up, feeling the heat of his stare on her. She smiled innocently, trying not to laugh at his expression. "Yes?"

Blinking slowly, Ares turned his head the other way. "Unbelievable," he muttered. Knowing that his energy was draining quickly, he realized that he had lost.

A peaceful smirk came to her lips; making him smile like a fool at the angelic face before him. Not only had she stolen victory, it seemed she had stolen his heart as well. Cursing silently, he looked down at the grass in anger.

It was when he felt her soft hands lifting his chin, he saw that she was genuinely amazed, just as he was. Victory wasn't on her mind, he realized, but it was he that she was thinking about.

"That you are," she whispered. "And I…" She stopped suddenly, the declaration on her tongue frightening her. That fear overpowered the feelings she had for this beautiful, incredible, perfect man before her. What they had was physical, intimate, and enough to scare her away forever. "I win," she said, a single tear falling down her cheek.

Before he could protest, she firmly pressed her lips to his, waiting until he relaxed into her, and then pulling away. Ares felt unmatched happiness when she kissed him, and smiled as his eyes drooped several times before falling shut.

Never before had Aphrodite looked at a man with pure love like she was now looking at Ares. Affection, lust, admiration, yes. Love? Never. Others loved _her _and she graciously accepted their love with one of the former. Oddly enough, she knew it was not only love that drew her to Ares, but now it was a bond, a connection they shared. Another tear traveled down her cheek, her lip trembling slightly at the thought of him rejecting her. Her heart began to feel as though it were breaking as her mind played over several scenarios of him laughing in her face like he always does, and leaving her to wallow in misery.

It frightened her more than anything else in the universe.

The man challenged her, he didn't love her, perhaps lust, but he couldn't love her. He barely loved any women to begin with. Ares purpose was to cause dissonance, terror; how could he truly love her as she loved him? It made no sense.

Aphrodite sat back against a large red pillow, arm supporting most of her weight while she fondly studied him. While sleeping, Ares looked almost…innocent. The lines that made his face look ragged and stressed were immediately gone and the pale scars barely stood out, even in when the sunlight hit them. He was also breathing so deeply in his sleep that she couldn't help but watch his chest rise and fall. He was the perfect mixture of pale and sun-tanned, she observed, and smirked. His abdomen and muscular build was most definitely well defined, as well. The man was so perfect. But he was cruel and thought love was silly…thought _she _was silly. Aphrodite meant nothing to him.

It was then she remembered his tears. While a pain that she had never imagined existed shot through her, Aphrodite felt Ares bring her close, and she easily melted into the warmth of his body, waiting for the pain of his being pass. When she finally looked up, she saw tears in his eyes. She'd seen those tears before, in the eyes of humans. They were not from pain or from regret, but they were of compassion, of need. They were tears of more than temporary affection. Those tears were of her being; they were of love and realized beauty.

Oh, the man had felt her, as she felt him! The physical result was tears to prove it. Ares did love her. Aphrodite thought back to his face after she kissed him and played with his hair. A silly, lovesick, lopsided grin would be the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes. By Zeus, Ares loved her! She was sure of it!

More tears poured out her eyes, rather of joy instead of sorrow. Clapping her hands together and squealing girlishly, she threw herself onto the grass and sheets, landing next to him. Not caring whether or not her hair was now out of place and falling to the side of her cheeks, she propped herself up on one elbow, half-laying on her side. Golden eyes observed and memorized everything they could about the face before her. After a few moments, her hand reached up to caress a few strands of sticky hair out of his eyes and forehead. He didn't even stir.

She giggled, pulling more back. Making popping noises with her mouth, she let her feet move back and forth as she talked to herself, complementing every and anything there was to compliment about the war god.

The satyrs began to slowly come out of their hiding places, a few munching on fruit from the bushes. One had a small harp in hand, and two held out a large horn with a pink and white shell on the end. The one with the harp plopped down in the grass behind Aphrodite, and three others put down their fruit and pulled out reed-pipes. They began to play a little tune, while the two others fussed with the horn by Ares head.

Humming along with the tune, Aphrodite let her feet bounce to the rhythm of the tune, and she eventually smiled, propping herself up higher. With a grand smile, she began to sing to herself, matching the tune.

"Does he love me?" she sang softly, fingers running through his hair. Still, he didn't stir, but his head dropped a little on the pillow. "Does he love me?" she sang once more. "I truly love you, but do you love me, too? I give you me…really I do. But do you, you precious thing, do you love me, too?" Now, her fingers were moving down his face, tracing the little scars on his face. She looked over at the satyr closest to her, the one holding the stick end of the horn. The little thing jumped back when she playfully tussled his hair, but she merely smiled and beckoned him over with her finger.

"Just look at him," she sighed. "He's so beautiful." The little satyr giggled, nodding and turning back to his friends, motioning for them to come closer.

"Does he love me?" she whispered, now. The satyrs had stopped playing and were coming closer, observing Ares from head to toe. This only caused Aphrodite to smile more, knowing how the large war god would hate this.

One played with Ares' toes, putting his pointed ear to the man's foot. He shrugged, coming up. "Sleep?" he asked in a high-pitched voice, pointing at the man. At that moment, the two satyrs blew the horn, which was very close to Ares ear, and jumped back, hoping they didn't wake him. It didn't surprise Aphrodite to see that he didn't stir at all.

Aphrodite nodded, taking his little hand in hers. "But this is where his heart is, this is where his heart beats," she said. _For me_, she thought to herself. Placing the satyrs hand on Ares heart, she observed the little creature nod, hand patting the man's chest, before pulling away, off to find something else interesting to examine.

Her hand was still laying on Ares chest, and she slowly began to move her fingers over the skin, getting to feel what she couldn't through that bothersome tunic and armor of his. Humming the tune along with the satyrs, she let her fingers trail down his chest and onto his stomach.

The man stirred slightly, causing Aphrodite's head to snap up to his face. She was surprised to see him not begin to wake, but a smile spreading on his face. Brow furrowing, she shrugged and continued to trace the lines of his abdomen, before hearing a little noise come from him. Looking up again, she only saw his smile getting bigger, and his mouth parted slightly. This time she made sure to keep a close watch on his face while she traced lines on his stomach once more. Aha! She began to giggle when she noticed that the noise was a small, sleepy laugh. Giggling more and more, she continued to play with stomach, watching his hands flail slightly, and hear him laugh a little in his sleep.

Aphrodite loved games; finding a new one only made her love this man even more. "Terrifying god of vengeance and war…" she paused dramatically, noticing the satyrs were leaning forward, listening to what she had to say. "Does this tickle?" Ares only response was a sleepy laugh and a movement of his hand, coming to rest on hers.

The satyrs giggled and fell on their backs at the sight.

She gently put her head on his chest, snaking an arm around his back and another around his stomach. Hugging him tightly, she lifted her chin up, looking at his face again. She would never grow tired of such an angelic face. "Does he love me?" she mused. Putting her head on his chest, she murmured once more, "Does he love me?" There was a small mumble and sigh above her, and her eyes traveled up to see Ares head shift once more, hand not leaving hers. Aphrodite grinned a little, saying again, "Does he love me?" There was another mumble. She closed her eyes in pleasure, safe and content. "Does he love me?" she whispered.

It was a split-second of chaos and harmony combined, rocking the Earth and created a deranged harmony; the combination of love and war only resulted in pain and confusion. In the end though, one of them may have been the victor, but Aphrodite only proved the dominance of love by never challenging Ares. She simply repeated herself, knowing that even if he denied it, she would know the bittersweet truth.

"Does he love me?"

A split-second passed, and he sighed, smiling gently.

* * *

Well? Love? Hate? What the hell? I'd understand if you said option 1, 2, or 3 so feel free to drop a review and tell me:) Thanks bunches, folks!


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